Sometimes, job opportunities come accompanied with various
challenges that are quite hard to deal with. When being part
of a company suffering from big problems in terms of cost
overrun, loss making unit, weakening customer loyalty,
higher attrition, decreasing employee trust, or other
similar problems, you should act wisely and know which
attitude to take.

Experience and research show that there are six great
attributes that would help you get through this mess:

Avoid distancing yourself
emotionally: Difficult and unfamiliar circumstances can make leaders feel
vulnerable. To combat their anxiety, they actively avoid being implicated in the
mess in subtle but damaging ways. However, the soonest they accept that they are
being part of this mess, the quicker they find ways to solve it.

Never blame others on the
mess, handle it without looking back: Since those who took former decisions are
no longer present to take the blame, there is no need or gain in blaming them.
So, in such circumstances, better to say: We cannot change the past, so let’s
find a way to move with less damages to the future.

Do not focus on your past
successes and achievements: Do not remind people of your past achievements. What
is important to them is how you deal with this mess. So, better to act not talk,
even if you will act based on your previous experience.

Distinguish between
self-promotion and requesting real help: When companies face problems, employees
are always afraid of losing their job, so they tend to be cautious when
suggesting any idea in fear of losing their source of living. Thus, the leader
has to ensure to them that they are allowed to share ideas without fear; this
would allow the best ideas to emerge and be adopted.

Test the reliability of your data:
Make sure that the data provided is correct, unless you want to build your
decisions on false background. You can also consider external hiring neutral
specialists or audits to make sure that the data is accurate.

Be transparent
regarding the changes you will make: Consider making only urgent changes
first, then when you are totally aware of the situation, start making more
changes that reflect the need to make things progress and save the company from
the mess it is facing.

Taking
these advises into consideration will help you make the
change and start focusing on how to deal with the mess and
overcome it.